Chicken Littles: Sky done fell! Draft Thread 2011

[nate33]

Yeah, I was thinking that too about the Wall effect, I just don't know what we can offer. They'd probably want McGee if he builds on his current play, but if he does that, I don't think I would want to trade him. Blatche + this year's first, top 3 protected, might do it, but Cousins is the kind of player a lot of execs will be keeping their eye on so the competition would be fierce...assuming he even becomes available.

A Cousins trade is pretty unlikely at this point. Nobody trades young big men without giving them a couple of years to develop first. Cousins won't be available for a reasonable price until his 4th season, regardless of how he plays.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

Seraphin and a future 1st should be enough to get Cousins. I wouldn't give up Blatche, because of Andray's contract, youth, and veteran leadership (yes, I said that) to this very young team. Flip and Andray have a rapport, even if they get testy with each other.

I would give up Seraphin for Cousins. Seraphin and a future first, too.

Then, in the draft just go best player available. I like a lot of players besides Faried. I like Kemba Walker a lot. I like McCamey. The Wizards can use a kid like the one that went to Wall's HS, CJ Leslie. Just looking at DX' 2011 mock (haven't watched hardly any NCAA ball this year, so I'm not up on the actual numbers this season) from who I know about I like Mason Plumlee, LaceDarius Dunn, Demetris McCamey, JaJuan Johnson, Gilbert Brown (Pitt's guy looked REALLY good against UMCP in a game I did watch), and Jimmer Fredette (extremely underrated by DX IMO, just like Faried).

I hope the Wizards get winners and specialist in this draft. Faried is a monster on the glass. I like ther other guys because they've been standout players on good teams. Leslie is a freak of an athlete. Don't know if he't got any Gerald Wallace or Danny Granger in him, but he's athletic and similarly sized to those guys. Monster SF-type guys.

Lot to think about in this draft ...

[Ed Wood]

Seraphin and a future 1st should be enough to get Cousins. I wouldn't give up Blatche, because of Andray's contract, youth, and veteran leadership (yes, I said that) to this very young team. Flip and Andray have a rapport, even if they get testy with each other.

Almost certainly Seraphin and a first would not be enough to land Cousins, particularly not if, regardless of how unsettled the top of the upcoming draft appears to be, the pick is in any way protected, and I would not consider a trade in which it was not. Frustrating as Cousins may have been for the Kings organization to this point, and there is no way to accurately assess that, the team still picked Cousins in the face of concerns from a number of other organizations that he was a bad bet. Accepting a mulligan pick and a very raw player from later in Cousins' own draft in Seraphin would be tantamount to an admission by the team that they don't know what the **** they're doing. Head-up-assness is usually a pretty good step in the direction of getting fired.

Plus, while I remain confident that Cousins will get it together and his talent will win out I'm not sure I think Cousins is a good fit here. Sure he played well with Wall in college but so would have just about everybody. Cousins and Kevin Love seem to me to be somewhat similar. Both were disgustingly productive in college and both have skills, particularly rebounding, that are gonna be useful in the pros. But both have significant issues as well, namely somewhat inefficient offense (getting blocked around the rim a LOT) and being really bad defenders. Sure being next to McGee might help to mitigate those issues but I'd rather not have to.

I hope the Wizards get winners and specialist in this draft. Faried is a monster on the glass. I like ther other guys because they've been standout players on good teams. Leslie is a freak of an athlete. Don't know if he't got any Gerald Wallace or Danny Granger in him, but he's athletic and similarly sized to those guys. Monster SF-type guys.

Lot to think about in this draft ...

I certainly agree with the best available strategy; Faried is definitely phenomenal at what he does and if he had a reliable shot jumper to bring to the table I could easily see him serving as a Udonis Haslem kinda guy, maybe even the deluxe version. I don't see any small forward there at all, he really doesn't have the ball skills and considering Washington's roster composition small forwards without a perimeter shot just don't make much sense to me.

Right now other than Terrence Jones, who certainly has impressed in the early going, I'm mostly looking at guys who could bring shooting and defense on the wing. I'm still bullish on Honeycutt, Vesely, Singleton and Witherspoon and Vanderbilt's Jeff Taylor has been looking good from distance so far this year so add him to the pile. I don't buy Rodney Williams as a shooter and C.J. Leslie, while definitely a holy **** athlete is not yet definitely a wing for me, but could be interesting as a hybrid if he has the size to play the four. Elias Harris just reminds me too much of Thornton at this point and I don't want anything to do with Kris Joseph until he shows me an NBA skill.

[LyricalRico]

I have zero interest in Cousins. Flip already had to walk out of one practice. Do we really want another knucklehead in the locker room? I'd rather have Seraphin purely based on attitude. The Wiz locker room needs to be a knucklehead-free zone.

[Ruzious]

I gotta start doing my homework - I haven't even seen half the players mentioned. I did see Plumlee last night and was very impressed - except for 1 thing. He looked skinnier than last season. I expected he'd be thicker - that's normally the case for sophomore bigs... to be bigger. And it looks like he has the frame - I didn't think size would be an issue for him, but now I'm not sure. He definitely needs to get thickerer. But he did show the all-around game you like from a PF prospect. He's kinda like a smaller Brook Lopez. I think he's a solid 10-14 pick type talent.

On Cousins - remember centers take some time - especially a 19 year old. It's no surprise he goes through rough patches. You'd probably have to over-pay to get Sac's attention.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I have zero interest in Cousins. Flip already had to walk out of one practice. Do we really want another knucklehead in the locker room? I'd rather have Seraphin purely based on attitude. The Wiz locker room needs to be a knucklehead-free zone.

And how many years did you think Blatche was a knucklehead? Also, I don't recall if you did, but have you thought McGee was a knucklehead even earlier this season? Are they the knuckleheads you refer to? Is Nick Young a knucklehaed?

Are the Lakers knuckleheads for having Artest AND Barnes on their team?

[Ruzious]

I want 5 Tim Duncans, but it seems they're never on sale.

[Hoopalotta]

Hey check it out, lifted from a thread on the RealGm Draft board:

I think he's easily tall enough to play power forward, he looks a legit 6'10.

kanter officially measured out to 6'10 in shoes


jones does have a 84 inch wingspan though.

So, Big Enes is number 0 (Jones is number 3) and I'm thinking that would make Jones a solid 6'9", though maybe with a long neck (perfect for us!). If Kanter's really a center, Jones is a power forward.

He turns 19 in January, so he could easily grow a little bit more too.

[Dat2U]

I was Kemba Walker fan last year and said back then he was a lottery worthy pick but this year OMG. Right now he's a top five pick IMO.

I like what I've seen of Jones (UK) so far, honestly I wouldn't mind if he comes up a little short on the measurements if it helps him slip to us.

Haven't watched a ton games yet so there's alot of guys I can't comment on at the moment.

The redshirt freshman from Pitt that dominated UMD with the double/double looks like a lottery pick IMO too.

[Hoopalotta]

Here's a fairly robust article on how the pending lockout would affect the draft:

The threat of a lockout is not impacting decisions about whether or not to come out or stay in college another year, at least not yet, according to Jonathan Givony, president and director of scouting for Draft Express.

“I imagine at the end of the day players will still enter, except for those rare guys that truly love school and come from the type of background that means they don’t have to worry about financial considerations as much as others,” Givony said via email. “Every year there are a ton of guys who enter without much hesitation at all because they feel like they’ve had enough of college and they are ready to be pros. My opinion is they’ll still enter.”

http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/ ... -question/

Givony also has Terror Jones as the 6th pick now.

[RickRoll_inDC]

I do believe (as the only Iowan on this board, and therefore an expert on Harrison Barnes) that I was right.

He has some skills, but is nowhere near polished. He was crowned the best incoming freshman, he was supposed to be the #1 pick in 2011.

IMO, he is one of those guys that will benefit from 2-3 years under Roy Williams.

[507Mack]

My hope is that wherever we pick, we continue to have gritty, defensive minded players in mind. We need a big that will strike fear into people, like Blake Griffin does for the Clips, but I'll settle for someone that won't sit on the court and cry on national TV like Blatche did on Thanksgiving.

[mhd]

I want Jan Vessley. Fills biggest need.

[MF23]

C.J. Leslie is a good player to match whith John Wall again. He's probably mid to late lottery so the Wizards could get him.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I do believe (as the only Iowan on this board, and therefore an expert on Harrison Barnes) that I was right.

He has some skills, but is nowhere near polished. He was crowned the best incoming freshman, he was supposed to be the #1 pick in 2011.

IMO, he is one of those guys that will benefit from 2-3 years under Roy Williams.

I lived in Omaha, NE, for about five years back in the late 80s and 90s. Does it count if I once lived almost within a stone's throw to Council Bluffs, IA?

gilbertgoes05, I missed your comments on Barnes but from what you posted I have to respect what you knew then to be right. It reminds me of something from way back.

Back in 2001, when this board was just taking off, I remember the Kwame draft discussion--one post in particular. Someone posted (while draft experts were raving about Kwame) that they had seen Kwame's HS games and new a lot about him. They posted that he was playing against 6'3" non-athletic centers. His HS competition was weak. That Kwame wasn't all that good and that we'd see.

Well, seems they knew a lot more than the experts!

To me, Barnes is nowhere near the talent Sullinger is. I watch virtually no NCAA ball these days, so I could be wrong. Just based on the highlights and stat sheets and how their respective teams are playing it's no contest. Barnes is having to adjust, just like Brandon Knight, to higher level competition. gilbertgoes05, sounds like you saw this coming.

[rl25g]

could kyrie irving and john wall co-exist ???

[closg00]

I wonder what the draft strategy will be next year, BPA or position of need?

Edit: Stock Watch article.
http://www.nbadraft.net/nba-draft-stock-watch-0

[Ruzious]

Satuday 12:30 is must-see tv - Kentucky vs UNC. UNC fans have actually been booing Barnes.

Btw, while Kemba Walker looks amazing for UConn, how about their sophomore center - Alex Osomething? Is it fair to start comparing him to Okafor - seems to have the same strengths and weaknesses.

[TheKingOfVa360]

Looks like we might have a shot at Harrison Barnes

[Wizardspride]

could kyrie irving and john wall co-exist ???

Nope.